Newport Harbor falls in sudden death

Joseph Boo

CORONA DEL MAR - El Toro High’s Trevor McMann scored in sudden

death to end Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division I boys water polo

semifinals, 9-8, against Newport Harbor at Corona del Mar High.

McMann’s shot came from the right side of the pool 2:57 into sudden

death, and it ended a wild, melodramatic and excruciatingly tense game

that left El Toro Coach Don Stoll in tears, El Toro’s players jubilant,

and No. 2 seed Newport Harbor in stunned silence.

“We were throwing the ball around,” McMann said. “The clock was going

down, there was an open shot to take, and I took it. I’m so excited. I

never made a shot like this to win before.”

“That was one of the better high school water polo games I’ve ever seen,”

Newport Harbor Co-Coach Brian Kreutzkamp said. “It was nerve-racking. I

must have aged 10 years during the game.”

Newport Harbor led for most of the second quarter against the No. 3 seed,

but it was tenuous. The Sailors’ offense was at its best in the second

quarter. Ryan Cook scored twice, and Robert Weiner and Peter Belden each

scored to give Harbor a 4-3 halftime lead.

El Toro tied it at the end of the third quarter when two-meter man Brett

McCleave, who gave the Sailors problems from start to finish, flipped the

ball backwards into the goal.

But the Sailors answered right back when Brandon Hansen made a

desperation shot that somehow got passed everyone and had Stoll tossing

his water bottle in exasperation.

The Sailors took the only two-goal lead in the fourth period when Belden

tipped in a beautiful entry pass from Cook. That seemed to ignite El

Toro. The Chargers started forcing steals and scored three consecutive

goals.

With 50 seconds left, El Toro’s overaggressiveness led to a foul and a

six-on-five for the Sailors. Kreutzkamp then called a timeout.

“We switched over to Belden and Hansen so we could have one of our two

best shooters take the shot,” he said. “And Hansen made one hell of a

shot.”

Hansen and Belden passed back and forth between each other at the top

before Hansen tied it with 47 seconds left.

In overtime, Newport Harbor’s defense flustered El Toro with five steals,

including two from Weiner.

The Sailors thought they had the game won when Weiner made a good shot

past El Toro’s goalie. But the ball hit the left post and straddled the

goal line without going in. And after a scoreless second overtime, McMann

ended the game.

“We got so close,” Kreutzkamp said. “If that shot in overtime went in, we

would’ve won. We had two or three shots like that in the game. We lost by

inches.”

Like last year, El Toro (26-4) denied the Sailors (26-3) from advancing

to their first CIF finals since 1987. At the same time, the Chargers go

to their first final since 1992.

“I’m not disappointed,” Kreutzkamp said. “Sometimes, the ball goes in,

sometimes it doesn’t. This is the farthest we’ve gone since 1988. I’m

absolutely proud of them. We gave 100 percent from start to finish.”

CIF DIVISION I SEMIFINALS

El Toro 9, Newport Harbor 8

El Toro 2 2 1 3 0 0 - 1 - 9

Newport Harbor 1 4 1 2 0 0 - 0 - 8

El Toro: McCleave 3, McMann 2, Burnett 1, Craycroft 1, Terpston 1,

Reidler 1. Saves: Khalessi 6.

Newport Harbor: Cook 3, Belden 2, Hansen 2, Weiner 1. Saves: Birdsong 13.